Only a Beast
by Schingiuire
Summary: Innocence allows people to see the good in others, even when it doesn't exist. Innocence could open the gates for death to destroy everything.


The Hellsing estate was such a grand affair. It was nothing short of a palace in her mind, though many of those she listened to refereed to it as a mere mansion. How could such a place be only a mansion? There were so many rooms and three levels. A grand library. A great hall where she could only imagine dances and fantastic balls to be held. The grounds spilled forth into an expanse that seemed to reach to the very horizon. This was no simple mansion.

She had been left in a study to dust the shelves of books and clean the floor. Later she would be led around the second level to clean out the fire places and made to start the fires.

"Alena," a sharp whisper flew as a barbed arrow at her back. "What are you doing dawdling at the window? You need to finish this room before Sir Hellsing wakes up!"

Sir Hellsing. She didn't know very much about the man, other than he was the head of the household and the owner of all this grandeur. Several of the other servants had whispered about him, of his character that did not match his great uncle's behavior at all. Alena had heard tales of the great Abraham Helsing, the current head's great uncle who'd passed away earlier this year.

The way she understood it, he'd become very ill and had finally turned over the estate to Arthur Hellsing.

Alena quickly moved to continue sweeping the floor and replacing the water in the wash bin. There was so much work to be done, but she could not keep her mind from wandering. This was only her first week and already there was so much mystery about the house and its powerful owner.

She didn't really understand what the estate was used for. However, she was aware there were far more people living here than a normal estate. There seemed to be armed men, soldiers, that patrolled the estate grounds and other buildings being constructed. The head maid had informed her already that these undergoings were none of her concern. A maid should have no interest in the goings on of the master's estate.

OoOoO

Uncle Bram had died in his sleep, just as Arthur hoped he would go. Though, some part of him mourned for that type of end. Abraham Helsing had been a hunter, a man of great learning, of great experience, and someone who still had so much knowledge left to give. Arthur would have been happier if he could have been angry, to have some focus for his grief. A man like that should not have died so old and feeble, unable to even stand from the bed and walk himself to the chamber pot without a nurse.

That was the way of things, however, and he must accept them. Though Arthur had lived on the estate for some years, learning from his uncle, he still was not quite ready to have the full responsibility of the young organization thrust onto his shoulders.

And the vampire…

That foul beast, the demon which laughed and seemed to celebrate in some heathen song when the old man had passed. Alucard, his uncle had always called it, among other more appropriate derogatory names, was now his as well. Arthur always knew it would happen, that this time would come. As long as his uncle had been alive, no matter how weak, he was still the monster's true master.

Once the last breath had left his body, that magic snapped to a new source. Arthur Hellsing. Arthur had been exposed to the vampire plenty during his time here. Abraham had made sure of it, time and time again forcing him to be the one to interact with the creature. It was so they both could learn what to expect from one another. More importantly, Abraham had wanted Arthur to understand how to control the vampire, how to understand it, and how to handle the beast. When he was a child, set to the estate by his parents for the purpose of tutelage and apprenticeship, Arthur had thought the vampire something of an angel.

Alucard had always been so polite to him as a child, bringing him gifts and behaving almost saintly. The vampire had played with him, every ridiculous game a child could concoct, Alucard had happily joined with a bright smile and energetic responses.

That was, until Abraham had realized what the vampire was up to. It was all a clever scheme. The vampire played a long game. Alucard wanted him to believe he was harmless, a perfect picture of obedience and a friend. In no way a slave. A friend. A playmate. Something to converse with, not to command. An emotional attachment.

Abraham had helped him see the truth before it was too late. Arthur dimly remembered seeing a captured wolf on display at a city fair. For sport, the fair set a wolf on a chained bear for the entertainment of the crowd to watch them tear each other apart. The wolf was half starved, crazed for violence. Possibly tormented by its captors into such a state so the crowd would see a much grander blood bath.

The playful, saintly man who served his uncle became that wolf. That night, Arthur learned what vampires really were, and what kind of monster Alucard was. There were no more games after that night.

Without his uncle there with him, guiding him, Arthur knew the full responsibility of controlling Alucard and ruling the organization was on his shoulders. The safety of England from the supernatural horrors of the darkness was now his.


End file.
